Reader’s Links for November 12, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

126 Replies to “Reader’s Links for November 12, 2019”

  1. Israel kills top Palestinian terror leader Bahaa Abu el-Atta in targeted airstrike on his Gaza home
    Israeli military says it has struck a Gaza City house, targeting a commander from the Islamic Jihad group in a resumption of pinpointed killing
    The Iranian-backed Palestinian group confirmed Tuesday that Bahaa Abu el-Atta, its north Gaza Strip commander, was killed
    Gaza’s Health Ministry says a man and a woman have been killed in the blast and two other people were wounded
    The airstrike damaged the half of the second and most of the third floors of a house in the Shejaeya neighborhood east of the city
    Israel media reported lately that Abu el-Atta was responsible for recent rocket attacks against southern Israel communities, instructed by Tehran
    However, Israel often says Hamas, the larger militant group controlling Gaza, is responsible for any fire emanating from the enclave

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7675273/Israeli-airstrike-kills-Islamic-Jihad-commander-Gaza-home.html

  2. Those who legally enter Canada from other countries have a disdain for illegal immigrants who jump the queue, according to research by the country’s immigration department.

    According to the government administration news website Blacklock’s Reporter, a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs stated there’s an “underlying sense of unfairness when compared to experiences of other immigrants.”

    “Some felt this situation was unfair, that these individuals are jumping what they view as an immigration queue,” the survey noted.

    An official estimate pegs the federal government has lost $1.4 billion in three years thanks to illegal immigration.

    Between January 1, 2017 and October 1, 2019, the RCMP has picked up 52,097 people entering the country illegally, Blacklock’s Reporter reported. Those individuals mainly composed of Haitians and Nigerians.

    https://torontosun.com/news/national/canadian-newcomers-resent-illegal-immigrant-queue-jumpers

  3. Ep. 1108 Shady Schiff’s Show Trial is Collapsing. The Dan Bongino Show 11/12/2019.
    18,668 views
    •Nov 12, 2019

  4. Data: UK Takes Record Number of Non-EU Foreign Born Workers (breitbart, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/11/12/record-number-of-non-eu-foreign-born-workers-in-the-uk/

    “New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of non-EU migrants working in the United Kingdom has climbed to an all-time high, with the overall foreign-born workforce reaching its third-highest level ever.

    A report published today by the ONS reveals an increase of 157,000 non-EU foreign-born workers, driving the overall number to a record high of 3.4 million.

    The report also found that the number of EU nationals entering the UK workforce was higher than people born in the United Kingdom meaning new jobs are predominantly going to migrants, rather than native workers. The latest data saw an increase of 81,000 people from European Union countries, compared to an increase of just 65,000 native-born people over the same time period.

    There are now 2.37 million people born in European Union nations working in the UK.

    Since last year some 238,000 foreign-born people have been added to the workforce, driving the total number of foreigners working in the UK up to 5.77 million, the third-highest in history.

    The revelations in the ONS report drew condemnations from a leading immigration-sceptic think tank in the United Kingdom.

    The Chairman of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet, said of the change: “The reliance on overseas labour continues. A rise of nearly a quarter of a million non-UK born workers, of whom 157,000 were non-EU and 81,000 EU, is astounding. Worryingly, both the Conservatives and Labour are proposing policies that will likely boost these numbers and in Labour’s case, turbo-charge them. That is senseless.

    “It’s time politicians gave serious thought to pressing employers to focus more on training our own, raising wages and improving conditions, rather than relying on cheaper, and perhaps more malleable, overseas workers,” he added.

    The report comes one day after leading Tory MP Micheal Gove slammed the Labour Party for its position on immigration saying: “One of the principal lessons of the Brexit referendum was the desire of the British people to end freedom of movement and bring immigration under democratic control.”

    “Labour is now explicitly in favour of unlimited and uncontrolled immigration”, he added.

    Migration Watch UK was quick to point out that while the Labour Party presided over a fourfold increase in immigration, the Conservatives have not lived up to its promises of reducing immigration either…”

  5. Nearly 700,000 in Germany are Without Permanent Housing, and Over 60 Percent Are Migrants (breitbart, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/11/12/nearly-700000-in-germany-are-without-permanent-housing-and-over-60-percent-are-migrants/

    “New figures reveal that around 678,000 people in Germany are now without access to a permanent residence, with tens of thousands currently living on the street.

    The report, released by the German Federal Working Community (BAG), shows that in 2018 there were a total of 678,000 individuals without permanent residences, of which the vast majority, 440,000 — or 64 per cent — are refugees living in collective housing, German tabloid Bild reports.

    The number is an overall increase of 4.2 percent compared to 2017 and included the roughly 41,000 people who not only live without a permanent residence but also live on the streets.

    BAG homelessness assistance added that the largest increase in homeless individuals came from the growing refugee population in Germany that has continued to rise despite a slowdown following the massive wave of migrants during the migrant crisis in 2015.

    Werena Rosenke, managing director of BAG, told the newspaper, “There are too few social housing and affordable housing projects. The situation will not be eased in the next few months, and probably not within the next year.”

    Rosenke went on to add that single parents and young adults were at the greatest risk of homelessness and added that she feared solo self-employed people and others in less secure jobs could also face homelessness as well.

    Last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to spend €6.85 billion (£5.98 billion) on a variety of measures, including social housing, for newly arrived migrants.

    Around €500 million was announced for housing subsidies in various German regions, while a further €1.8 billion was expected to be for accommodation.

    In total, the German government spent a record 23 billion euros on asylum seekers in 2018, an amount 11 percent larger than the previous year.

    Other countries in Europe that have taken in large shares of migrants and asylum seekers, such as Sweden, have also had to tackle a lack of housing.

    Earlier this year, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building, and Planning claimed that 135 municipalities who said they had housing shortages had given migrants priority for housing over young Swedes, compared to just 12 who said the opposite.”

  6. In Sweden, Taxpayers are Funding Violent Islamic Extremist Groups (breitbart, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/11/12/in-sweden-taxpayers-are-funding-violent-islamic-extremist-groups/

    “The Swedish Security Service (Säpo) has found that taxpayer money is being funnelled into Islamic extremist group’s pockets through government grants.

    Säpo has found that a large number of organisations with links to violent extremism are using federal and municipal grant systems in Sweden, which the police say could “contribute to radicalisation and thus growth in extremist environments in Sweden.”

    The report found that all manner of extremist linked groups, both left-wing and right-wing, had taken advantage of state aid, however, Johan Olsson, the Operational Manager at Säpo said: “right now we see that the problem is greatest in the violent Islamist environment.”

    The police say that individuals from Islamist groups are using public-funded schools, cultural associations and foundations as platforms to spread extremist ideology within Sweden.

    Though it is difficult to estimate how much public funds are being used by Islamist groups, due to the lack of transparency in the funding system, it is believed that the figure is in the range of millions of Kronor (Swedish currency).

    “To reduce growth in extremist communities, society needs to prevent organisations that contribute to radicalisation from receiving public funds. The state should not fund activities that undermine our democracy by supporting violent extremism” says Olsson.

    Sweden has been ravaged by a spate of bombings, with one expert stating that the amount of bombings is unparalleled in the developed world. Some estimates claim that bombings have nearly doubled since 2018. The multicultural Swedish city of Malmo has been particularly hard hit by bombings and shootings.

    Over the weekend a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed outside a pizza parlour in Malmo, and a second boy was left in critical condition. The shooting occurred minutes after a bomb was detonated, destroying a car in another district of Malmo.

    In response to the surge in violence in Sweden, the government of Denmark has announced that it will introduce permanent border controls to block the violence from spreading across the border.”

  7. Danish court jails repatriated Islamic State fighter (abcnews, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/danish-court-jails-repatriated-islamic-state-fighter-66939465

    “A foreign fighter from Denmark has been jailed in pre-trial custody for 27 days, a day after the man was deported from Turkey, which has begun to send home people who fought for the Islamic State group.

    Prosecutor Sidsel Klixbull told the Copenhagen City Court on Tuesday that it was “a very serious case.” Ahmad Salem el-Haj was held on preliminary charges of violating Danish terror laws.

    He denies the charges. He was arrested upon arrival at the Copenhagen airport late Monday.

    Copenhagen police say Denmark in 2017 had asked Turkey for his extradition but in vain. Danish officials also said el-Haj had been found guilty in Turkey and sentenced to four years in prison for joining the Islamic State group.

    No date for his trial was immediately announced.”

  8. Bomb attack kills 3 soldiers on patrol in northwest Pakistan (abcnews, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bomb-attack-kills-soldiers-patrol-northwest-pakistan-66946116

    “Pakistan says a roadside bomb killed three soldiers and wounded another in a northwestern district bordering Afghanistan.

    The military statement Tuesday said the soldiers were on patrol in the North Waziristan region when the explosion hit their vehicle.

    No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

    North Waziristan is a former Taliban stronghold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and has been a sanctuary for Islamic militants.

    The army claimed to have cleared the area of militants in recent years, but there have still been occasional attacks on security forces.

    The military statement says troops are conducting a search operation for the assailants.”

  9. Mali says several extremists dead in new military offensive (abcnews, Nov 12, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mali-extremists-dead-military-offensive-66943912

    “Mali’s government says several extremists have been killed after the army launched a large-scale offensive in parts of the central Mopti region.

    The government said Monday that soldiers have found identity cards of several nationalities. It said the operation is being carried out with the support of Mali’s air force.

    The offensive comes after about 100 soldiers have been killed by extremists in the span of a month. It represents one of the army’s heaviest losses since a 2013 French-led military intervention to oust the extremists from power in the major towns of northern Mali.

    The operation coincides with the launch of an operation led by French anti-extremist forces alongside local troops in the border region of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.”

  10. “He’s Not Voldemort… Eric Ciaramella Is a Deep State Conspirator” – GOP Freshman Dan Bishop Is First Lawmaker to Publicly Out Schiff Sham Leaker

    On Tuesday Democrat coup leader Adam Schiff warned Republicans not to mention the name of the anti-Trump CIA spy and leaker, Eric Ciaramella, during the House hearings this week for face ethics complaints.
    Democrats believe they can impeach a US president without releasing the name of his far left accuser.

    Dan Bishop responded to shifty Schiff this afternoon.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/hes-not-voldemort-eric-ciaramella-is-a-deep-state-conspirator-gop-freshman-dan-bishop-is-first-lawmaker-to-publicly-out-schiff-sham-leaker/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  11. The Venezuela Crisis & Maduro’s Tightening Power Grip (w/ Jay Newman & Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez)

  12. Stalin Would Be Proud: Schiff Warns GOP Lawmakers Against Saying Eric Ciaramella’s Name During Public Hearings – Could Face Ethics Probe

    House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) warned GOP lawmakers on Tuesday against saying the whistleleaker Eric Ciaramella’s name during the public impeachment hearings.

    Schiff in a 6-page memorandum, warned Republican lawmakers that they will face a potential ethics probe if they dare say the CIA snitch’s name.

  13. Trump: ‘Many of the People in DACA, No Longer Very Young, Are Far From Angels,’ Some Are ‘Hardened Criminals’

    President Donald Trump took to Twitter ahead of the Supreme Court hearing arguments about the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to remind the public that many of the people benefiting from it are no longer young, and are now hardened criminals.

    The Supreme Court is hearing the case about President Trump’s efforts to end the program, which the current administration argues that President Barack Obama had created illegally.

    “Many of the people in DACA, no longer very young, are far from ‘angels.’ Some are very tough, hardened criminals. President Obama said he had no legal right to sign order, but would anyway. If Supreme Court remedies with overturn, a deal will be made with Dems for them to stay!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning.

    Journalist Ryan Girdusky noted that the president is correct — over 50,000 DACA recipients have arrest records.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/trump-many-of-the-people-in-daca-no-longer-very-young-are-far-from-angels-some-are-hardened-criminals/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  14. Bernie Says Ocasio-Cortez Would Play ‘Very Important Role’ In A Sanders White House

    Bernie Says Ocasio-Cortez Would Play ‘Very Important Role’ In A Sanders White House
    Avatar by Eric A. Blair November 12, 2019 188 Comments

    97Share 66Tweet Email

    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    President Bernie Sanders.

    It’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? (jk)

    Sanders, the 76-year-old socialist from Vermont who suffered a heart attack last month, is running a distant third in most polls for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race. But he’s already measuring the drapes for the Oval Office.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/bernie-says-ocasio-cortez-would-play-very-important-role-in-a-sanders-white-house/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  15. Corporate dhimmitude, the most spineless and disgusting form of dhimmitude! THis is what happens when you let Saudi-Arabia buy half of Silicon Valey:

    ‘Mistake’: Uber CEO equates brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi with accidents involving self-driving cars
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/11/khashoggi-killing-was-a-mistake-uber-ceo-claims
    The CEO of ride-sharing app Uber has called the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi a “mistake”, likening the brutal murder to “mistakes” made with self-driving cars.
    Saudi Arabia is Uber’s fifth-largest shareholder, while the head of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, is a member of the company’s board.
    Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi has faced outrage over the comments made in an interview with “Axios on HBO” aired on Sunday.
    “Listen, it’s a serious mistake. We’ve made mistakes too,” Khosrowshahi said of the Saudi journalist’s murder in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate last year.
    He went on to compare the “mistake” to a deadly crash involving one of Uber’s self-driving test vehicles last year. One of the cars struck and killed a pedestrian.
    “We stopped driving, and we’re recovering from that mistake. So I think that people make mistakes and it doesn’t mean that they can never be forgiven. I think they’ve taken it seriously,” he said.
    Khashoggi, a former royal insider-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was brutally killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in what a United Nations expert has termed a “deliberate, premeditated execution”.
    The UN and the CIA have since said it is highly probable the journalist’s murder was ordered by the crown prince, who in September took “full responsibility” but denied having prior knowledge of the killing.
    Saudi Arabia is Uber’s fifth-largest shareholder and the chief of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund is on the ride-sharing app’s board of directors.
    Axios reported that the Uber CEO later called to voice his regret for the comments.
    “I said something in the moment that I do not believe. When it comes to Jamal Khashoggi, his murder was reprehensible and should not be forgotten or excused,” he said.
    Khosrowshahi’s initial comments mirrored those made just days earlier by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
    Asked about the streaming giant’s decision to take down an episode of a comedy show critical of Saudi Arabia, Hastings said: “We’re not in the news business. We’re not trying to do ‘truth to power’. We’re trying to entertain.
    “We can pick fights with governments about newsy topics, or we can say, because the Saudi government lets us have us shows like “Sex Education”, that show a very liberal lifestyle, and show very provocative and important topics… we can accomplish a lot more by being entertainment, and influencing a global conversation about how people live, than trying to be another news channel.”
    Netflix removed an episode of Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj’s “Patriot Act” in the kingdom early this year after an official Saudi complaint was raised.
    In that episode, Minhaj made jibes at the crown prince for allegedly ordering the assassination of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year and leading the brutal war in Yemen.

    • brutal murder

      How do they know what happened?
      Lurid suggestions from MiddleEastEye, relayed to the WaPoo, then bounced around, spouted from every MB-affiliate propaganda nozzle.

      Now it’s stated as fact. Put it on MbS’s resume. And add it to PTrump’s tab. Friend of Monster.
      raycisss, sexisss, homofobbb, nyah, nyah, nyah.

  16. Online ‘slave trade’ exposed in Kuwait
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/News/2019/11/5/Online-slave-trade-exposed-in-Kuwait

    A growing online slave trade scene in Kuwait has sparked concerns, with people developing apps and hashtags to buy and sell foreign blue-collar workers online.
    For foreigners to work in Kuwait, they need to be sponsored by a Kuwaiti in what is called the Kafala system.
    The workers, already lacking basic human rights and are forced to work in abysmal conditions, are vulnerable to being bought and sold by other Kuwaitis by simply transferring their sponsorship to their new “employers”.
    According to a report by the BBC which exposed the illegal scene, domestic workers are commodified on an app called 4sale with Arabic posts describing the ethnicity, age and skills of the worker.
    To advertise the worker, some have even taken to extremes to say the worker does not “need” basic human rights such as days off, going out or needing a phone to contact family.
    “You can wake her up at 5am and she won’t even have a problem, works all day long with no fuss,” one advertisement said.
    People conducting the online slave trade have also taken to social media to sell workers with designated accounts and hashtags.
    Human rights groups have documented cases of abuse against foreign workers in Kuwait but some – such as Human Rights Watch – have said the government is doing more than most in the Gulf to tackle the problem.
    Kuwait has introduced a minimum wage for domestic workers, opened a refuge and hotline for “runaway maids” and given human rights workers access to the country.
    But cases of extreme abuse still continue to emerge, including an infamous video showing an Ethiopian house worker left dangling from a window as she tried to escape her Kuwaiti employer’s house.
    The cruel implications of Kuwait’s kafala system has caused a strain with its global diplomatic relations – namely Philippines.
    January last year, Manila barred Filipinos from working in Kuwait whilst investigating the mysterious deaths of nationals in the Gulf state.
    Philippines Labour Secretary Silvestre Belo said the ban would be in place “pending investigation of the causes of deaths of about six or seven of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers)”.
    The ban came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte hit out at Kuwait over the treatment of Filipino workers and threatened to prevent nationals from moving to the Gulf state.
    He said employer abuse in Kuwait had driven four workers to suicide, while others had suffered sexual abuse in the country.
    [We want a] state the truth and [Kuwait to] just tell them that [abuse is] not acceptable anymore,” he said.

  17. Royal Rumble: Saudi crown prince ‘held WWE wrestlers hostage’ after $500 million pay dispute
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/News/2019/11/6/Saudi-crown-prince-MbS-held-WWE-wrestlers-hostage

    WWE wrestlers and staff were held “hostage” in Saudi Arabia following the recent “Crown Jewel” event in Riyadh, according to a new report.
    The crew of more than 200 people were ordered to wait on the tarmac in Riyadh for six hours on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was furious that WWE owner Vince McMahon had cut off the Crown Jewel live-feed over a pay dispute, according to US media reports.
    The sports entertainment mogul was reportedly owed as much as $500 million by the Saudis for previous shows held in the kingdom.
    As rumours of a dispute leaked from the WWE camp, the wrestling company claimed that a mechanical fault had prevented their staff from returning back to the US on time.
    A former WWE staff member, Hugo Savinovich, later took to Facebook to say that the real reason behind the delay was due to the kingdom’s effective ruler’s anger at the live feed being pulled.
    According to Wrestlingnews, the video said that Crown Prince Mohammed “was so upset by the feed being cut off that he ordered to have the wrestlers be taken off Atlas Air just before the plane was about to take off”.
    Due to the delay, many WWE stars who were due to perform on Smackdown the following day did not make it on time.
    The Saudi-WWE dispute was reportedly resolved when the two sides reached a quick agreement that brought the show on air 40-minutes behind schedule.
    On Monday, WWE announced that they had “expanded their live event partnership” with Riyadh’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) “through 2027 to include a second annual large-scale event”.
    Due to the fact that WWE already holds two live events in Saudi Arabia, the announcement was seen by observers as the sports entertainment firm’s way of publicly reaffirming its relationship with the Saudis following a series of turbulent events rocking Riyadh.
    Saudi Arabia’s latest line of international sports and entertainments events has been dogged by controversy following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which prompted business leaders and heads of state and business to boycott a major investment conference in Riyadh last year.
    After last year’s ‘Crown Jewel’ event, some fans accused the sports entertainment firm of accepting “Saudi blood money”.

  18. Jordan Foils Plot Against Diplomats, US Soldiers
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1987906/jordan-foils-plot-against-diplomats-us-soldiers

    “Jordanian intelligence recently foiled a plot by two suspected militants to mount terror attacks against US and Israeli diplomats alongside US troops deployed at a military base in the south of the country, state-owned al-Rai newspaper reported on Tuesday.

    It said the suspects had planned to drive vehicles into their targets and attack them with firearms and knives.

    They would stand trial in Jordan’s state security court, it added.

    ISIS militants and other extremist groups have long targeted Jordan and dozens of militants are currently serving lengthy prison terms.

    Jordan said last year it had foiled an ISIS plot that included plans for a series of attacks on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious figures.

    It arrested the suspects, according to Reuters.”

  19. Saudi Arabia Convicts 38 for Financing Terrorism
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1988491/saudi-arabia-convicts-38-financing-terrorism

    “A Saudi court has convicted 38 people of financing terrorism, handing out sentences ranging from 30 months to 25 years, state-run Al Ekhbariya television reported on Tuesday.

    The TV channel said one of those sentenced had set up a terrorist organization while in prison and others had committed takfir – labelling followers as non-believers – against the Saudi government, clerics and security forces.

    Ekhbariya did not give the nationalities or names of those convicted out of the 41 people in total on trial, nor did the TV channel provide details about when they were arrested.

    It said the specialist criminal court in Riyadh, which was set up to try terrorism cases, sentenced one man to 25 years, another to 20 years and a third to 15 years. The rest received sentences ranging from 2-1/2 years to 12-1/2 years.

    The convictions can be appealed.”

  20. Saudi Arabia Slams Iran’s Ongoing Deception over Nuclear Program
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1988311/saudi-arabia-slams-iran%E2%80%99s-ongoing-deception-over-nuclear-program

    “The Saudi government slammed on Tuesday Iran’s ongoing deception related to its nuclear program.

    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

    The cabinet hailed the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in monitoring the program, condemning Tehran for its stalling and maneuvering in providing necessary information to the watchdog.

    Iran must cooperate fully with the agency and respect IAEA inspectors, stressed the cabinet.

    Turning to Yemen, it praised the signing of the Riyadh agreement last week between the legitimate government and Southern Transitional Council. King Salman sponsored the deal and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, presided over the signing ceremony that was held in Riyadh.

    Saudi Arabia continues to support all efforts to achieve the security and stability of Yemen, lauding the parties for prioritizing their nation’s and people’s interests…”

  21. France to Take Back 11 Suspected Extremists from Turkey
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1988556/france-take-back-11-suspected-extremists-turkey

    “France will take back 11 suspected French extremists from Turkey, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Tuesday, a day after Ankara said it was deporting foreign citizens linked to the group.

    Turkey’s unilateral offensive has angered Washington and Turkey’s main European NATO allies who fear a return of ISIS in the region. European countries are especially concerned about foreign ISIS fighters and adults returning to Europe.

    France, which has between 400-500 nationals held in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria, including about 60 fighters, has been adamant that it will not take back adults that had joined ISIS in Syria. It wants to seal an agreement with Iraq on taking and prosecuting its nationals from Syria.

    However, as part of a 2014 agreement with Turkey, French nationals arrested by Turkish authorities have previously been deported back to France in coordination with French authorities.

    “It is within this framework that we are looking at repatriating 11 French nationals,” Castaner told lawmakers in parliament.

    He declined to give details about the individuals, but said that they were known by France and would be handed over to judicial authorities when they arrive.

    About 250 French nationals have been repatriated under the system since 2014, Castaner said.

    Turkey says it has captured 287 militants in northeast Syria and already holds hundreds more ISIS suspects. It has accused European countries of being too slow to take back citizens who travelled to fight in the Middle East.”

  22. Erdogan is unwelcome: US lawmakers
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/582410/World/Mena/Erdogan-is-unwelcome-US-lawmakers

    “A bipartisan group of 17 US House lawmakers called on President Donald Trump to cancel a planned White House visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, as the Turkish president said Tuesday he would not give in to EU demands to stop oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean around Cyprus.

    In Washington, a letter led by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the 15 House Democrats and two Republicans stoked up pressure prior to Erdogan’s US visit as the war or words between EU and Turkey, over drilling in the Mediterranean around Cyprus, too boiled over.

    The bipartisan group of lawmakers said Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria last month “has had disastrous consequences for US national security, has led to deep divisions in the NATO alliance and caused a humanitarian crisis on the ground.”

    “Given this situation, we believe that now is a particularly inappropriate time for President Erdogan to visit the United States, and we urge you to rescind this invitation,” they added.

    The letter, dated Nov. 8, also referenced Erdogan’s decision to purchase the Russian S-400 system, which the US had warned was not compatible with NATO forces and could serve to aid Russian intelligence.

    Erdogan, however, was more focused with the issue at home prior to his departure as he warned Brussels from desisting to sanction his nation over the exploration. “Do not dare to give an ultimatum to Turkey about the developments on Cyprus,” Erdogan said in a televised press conference. “We do not care about it, and we will proceed on our path.”

    Erdogan was responding to EU’s statement on Monday that a framework had been agreed to impose travel bans and asset freezes on the individuals and companies involved. The discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has sparked a dispute between Cyprus and Turkey.

    Erdogan again used the threat of “opening the gates” to millions of Syrian refugees that Turkey is hosting, and called for greater support, given its efforts in handling militant prisoners.

    “Review your attitude toward a country which keeps so many Daesh (so-called IS) members in prisons and similarly controls them on the Syrian side,” Erdogan said. The chilling threat to Europe was: Penalize us and we’ll release Daesh prisoners back to European countries, a Fox News report said.

    Turkey, meanwhile, deported three foreign militants on Monday, with more than 20 Europeans including French and Germans in the process of being expelled to their countries of origin…”

  23. Hezbollah: Regional environment ready to confront Israel
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191112-hezbollah-regional-environment-ready-to-confront-israel/

    “Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said yesterday that region is ready to confront the “Israeli enemy”.

    Nasrallah hailed remarks by Houthi leader, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi in which he threatened to use utmost power to respond to threats posed by Israel.

    “Although Yemen has been under the Saudi-led aggression for five years, Al-Houthi threatened to respond to any attack by the Israeli enemy,” Nasrallah said during the party’s Martyr’s Day commemoration.

    “Yemeni forces have built up a great military power and this further strengthens the axis of resistance in the entire region. Even though Yemen has been devastated by the Saudi-led aggression for more than five years, the Yemeni nation has proved that it will not give in to pressures,” he added.

    The Lebanese strongman added that the resistance is “at the height of its strength, presence and importance” pointing out that “the martyrs have turned Lebanon into a country seen by the Israeli enemy’s senior leaders as an existential threat to them”.

    Remarking on the recent developments in the region, Nasrallah said that the likelihood of war between the United States and Iran has decreased by 99 per cent, adding that Tehran has overcome the difficulties posed by the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement.”

  24. Saudi Arabia abducted missing lawyer, activist in Switzerland
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191112-saudi-arabia-abducted-missing-lawyer-activist-in-switzerland/

    “Saudi authorities kidnapped a Saudi lawyer and an activist from their residence in the Switzerland city of Geneva, the rights group Prisoners of Conscience has revealed.

    Saudi lawyer Hassan Al-Omari was abducted by authorities in October 2017 and Hassan Al-Kanani in March this year with Amnesty International accusing Saudi of being behind the Al-Omari’s disappearance.

    The rights group said a prince had also disappeared from Geneva prior to Al-Omari with authorities in Switzerland having no information about his whereabouts.

    On 15 October 2018, Saudi Prince Khalid Bin Farhan Al-Saud, who was based in Germany at the time, accused his country of trying to kidnap him. His revelation came just two weeks after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

    Over the past two years, hundreds of activists and human rights advocators have been arrested in Saudi Arabia.”

  25. Turkish forces in Syria fired on protesters
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191112-turkish-forces-in-syria-fired-on-protesters/

    “Turkish forces are said to have fired live ammunition at protesters during a joint patrol with Russian troops on the Syrian border. A UK-based monitoring group says two protesters were killed, but the account has not been verified.

    Video obtained by Reuters shows protesters hurling rocks at a military convoy near the town of Kobani, Syria…”

  26. It’s a lot worse: Uighur researchers say China running more ‘concentration camps’ than known
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/12/uighur-researchers-say-china-running-more-concentration-camps

    “Uighur activists said they have documented nearly 500 camps and prisons run by China to detain the ethnic group, alleging that China could be holding far more than the commonly cited figure of one million people.

    The East Turkistan National Awakening Movement, a Washington-based group that seeks independence for the mostly Muslim region known to China as Xinjiang, gave the geographic coordinates of 182 suspected “concentration camps” where Uighurs are allegedly pressured to renounce their culture.

    Researching imagery from Google Earth, the group said it also spotted 209 suspected prisons and 74 suspected labour camps for which it would share details later.

    “In large part these have not been previously identified, so we could be talking about far greater numbers” of people detained, said Kyle Olbert, the director of operations for the movement.

    “If anything, we are concerned that there may be more facilities that we have not been able to identify,” he told a news conference in suburban Washington.

    Anders Corr, an analyst who formerly worked in US intelligence and who advised the group, said that around 40 percent of the sites had not been previously reported.

    Rights advocates have generally estimated that China is detaining more than one million Uighurs and members of other predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnicities.

    But Randall Schriver, the top Pentagon official for Asia, said in May that the figure was “likely closer to three million citizens” – an extraordinary number in a region of 10 million people.

    Olbert said that archive imagery from alleged camp sites showed consistent patterns – steel and concrete construction over the past four years along with security perimeters.

    He said that the group tried to verify the nature of each site with on-the-ground accounts but declined greater detail, citing the need to protect sources.

    ‘Like boiling a frog’

    Activists and witnesses say China is using torture to forcibly integrate Uighurs into the Han majority, including pressuring Muslims to give up tenets of their faith such as praying and abstaining from pork and alcohol.

    Olbert described China’s policy as “genocide by incarceration,” fearing that Uighurs would be held indefinitely.

    “It’s like boiling a frog. If they were to kill 10,000 people a day, the world might take notice,” he said.

    “But if they were just to keep everyone imprisoned and let them die off naturally, perhaps the world might not notice. I think that’s what China is banking on,” he said.

    China has justified its policy after first denying the camps, saying that it is providing vocational training and coaxing Muslims away from extremism. Hundreds died in 2009 riots in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi that largely targeted Han Chinese.

    The United States has likened China’s treatment of Uighurs to Nazi Germany’s concentration camps but an increasingly strong Beijing has faced limited criticism outside the West.

    China last month secured a statement at the United Nations by nations including Russia, Pakistan and Egypt – which have all faced criticism of their own records – that praised Beijing’s “remarkable achievements in the field of human rights.”

    The Uighur activist group said it periodically added data including on the destruction of cemeteries in Xinjiang, which was documented in an investigation last month by AFP using satellite imagery.

    The movement said it had unsuccessfully asked the State Department for satellite data in hopes of improving its information sources.”

  27. Islamic State detainees in Syria a ‘ticking time-bomb’: State Dept official
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-islamicstate-usa/islamic-state-detainees-in-syria-a-ticking-time-bomb-state-dept-official-idUSKBN1XM2IQ

    “Some 10,000 Islamic State detainees held in prisons in northeastern Syria present a major security risk, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, urging countries to take back their citizens who joined the group and were detained.

    “It’s a ticking time bomb to simply have the better part of 10,000 detainees, many of them foreign fighters,” the official, told reporters in a conference call.

    Islamic State has lost almost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria. Its former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S. raid last month but it remains security threat in Syria and beyond.

    Allies have been worried that Islamic State militants could escape as a result of Turkey’s assault against Syrian Kurdish militia fighters who have been holding thousands of the group’s fighters and tens of thousands of their family members.

    The official said little progress was made on the repatriation of Islamic State detainees, with only some taken back by some Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.

    “Given that there are hundreds of people being held from Europe, we are very troubled by this and it’s a major issue of diplomatic discussion,” the official said.

    The United States will hold a meeting of foreign ministers from the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Washington on Thursday to discuss the next step on how to recalibrate the fight against the jihadi hardline group.

    The issue of how to handle Islamic State detainees is likely to take the center stage.

    Trump cleared the way for a long-threatened Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria on Oct. 9 against Kurdish forces who had been America’s top allies in the battle against Islamic State since 2014.

    The official said the United States was confident that in the meantime, Syrian Kurdish militia can keep the detainees secure but does not want to take any risks by having a such a large group of militants in one place.”

  28. U.S. senators draft NBA’s Kanter to push bill against Turkey’s Erdogan
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-turkey-rights/u-s-senators-draft-nbas-kanter-to-push-bill-against-turkeys-erdogan-idUSKBN1XM2UQ

    “Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter, a vocal critic of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, teamed up with two Democratic U.S. senators on Tuesday as they introduced a bill to condemn the alleged violation of human rights in Turkey.

    As Erdogan arrived in the United States for a White House meeting on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, Senators Edward Markey and Ron Wyden held up Kanter as a victim of the Turkish government’s targeting of political rivals.

    Turkey seeks the international arrest and extradition of the Boston Celtics center over his links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. Kanter has also had his passport canceled and has not been able to travel abroad with his team.

    “President Erdogan is conducting one of the biggest campaigns to restrict rights and freedoms anywhere in the world,” said Markey, pointing to the arrests or imprisonment of 80,000 citizens and closure of associations and media organizations in opposition to the government.

    Kanter said Americans should feel “very lucky and blessed” to have a country with democracy, freedom and human rights.

    “Sadly none of this is in my country but it’s just amazing to see support from not just two of these gentlemen but from my teammates, from my coaches and from all these fans,” Kanter said. “So that is why I cannot thank America enough.””

  29. Spain Intercepts 37 Moroccan Undocumented Minors in Ceuta
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286683/spain-moroccan-undocumented-minors-ceuta/

    “Spanish security services arrested on Monday, November 11, sixty-four Moroccan undocumented migrants hidden in different locations within the Ceuta port.

    The list of migrants included 37 Moroccan minors caught inside the port facilities. The operation in collaboration with the port authorities and is part of campaigns to reduce migratory pressure at the port.

    EFE reported that the minors were hidden in several places at the port, including the top of a gas station.

    Authorities arrested a total of 90 irregular migrants, including 27 other Moroccan undocumented migrants. Ceuta authorities also apprehended a number of Algerian migrants hiding in the port, the EFE added.

    The adult Moroccan migrants will be the subjects of repatriation procedures, while the minors were transferred to a migrant reception center.

    Morocco, a destination country for some refugees and migrants, is also a transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe through its northern border with Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla…”

  30. Egyptian researchers urge international society to denounce countries that support terrorism
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/355767/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-researchers-urge-international-society-to.aspx

    “Egyptian participants in the ‘Terrorism and Human Rights’ seminar held in the headquarters of Human Rights Council in Geneva sharply criticised the silence of the international community against the countries that support terrorism in Egypt and the Middle East.

    The participants pointed out that terrorism puts a lot of pressure on the political and economic conditions in Egypt and on the human rights situation.

    The seminar was organised by the Egyptian Rights Foundation (Huqoqiyat) in cooperation with the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies (ECSS) and the Women and Development Association in Alexandria.

    Said Abdel-Hafez, director of the Development and Human Rights Forum, said in his statement during the seminar that the human rights issue in Egypt is witnessing remarkable progress.

    Abdel-Hafez said that he is one of those who believe in the need to continue discussions with Egyptian institutions to urge them to improve human rights conditions in Egypt.

    Noha Bakr, a member of the advisory board of the ECSS, said in her statement that the reform process in Egypt is facing many challenges, most importantly terrorism.

    Bakr warned that thousands of jihadists have moved into Libya, and that there is a threat that they may move into Egypt, and thus it is important to intensify efforts to secure the Egyptian borders.

    She added that the state is trying to fight terrorism by altering extremist religious discourse through measures like modifying school curricula and establishing an observatory to track deviant fatwas and opinions on the internet in multiple languages.

    Ahmed Eliba, an expert at the security and defence programme at the ECSS, said that hundreds of tunnels in Sinai that were used to smuggle weapons and terrorists into Sinai have been destroyed.

    Eliba stressed that Egypt has succeeded in undermining terrorism and that it will continue eliminating what remains of the phenomenon.

    He also asserted that the strategic plan that has been used to deal with the situation in Sinai focuses on both development and combating terrorism, and that Egypt is respecting the rules of international law and human rights values.

    Dina El-Sarafi, a researcher at the Egyptian Centre For Economic Studies, said that extremism and terrorism are a threat to social security and safety, and that terrorism cannot be linked to any religion and cannot be justified in any way.

    She stressed that eliminating terrorism is a social issue and that facing it requires the participation of all the forces and institutions of society.”

  31. Over 2,300 life terms handed in 270 FETÖ cases
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-2-300-life-terms-handed-in-270-feto-cases-148589

    “A total of 2,327 defendants have been handed life sentences in cases related to the 2016 defeated coup attempt by the FETÖ in Turkey.

    According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from judicial sources, following the July 15, 2016 defeated coup attempt chief public prosecutors carried out over 100,000 investigations.

    Out of 289 cases, 270 of them completed, a total of 3,838 defendants were convicted.

    The Turkish courts ordered aggravated life sentences for 1,224 convicts.

    Among them were 71 former generals, 829 former officers, 173 former noncommissioned officers, 50 former specialized sergeants and four former police officers.

    Separately, 1,511 convicts were handed down jail terms ranging from 14 months to 20 years, while some defenders were acquitted in nationwide cases.

    The remaining cases continue in the capital Ankara, Istanbul, and seven other provinces.

    In July 2019, former Air Force Commander Gen. Ak?n Öztürk — the key officer who plotted the coup inside the military — Ahmet Özçetin, Ali Osman Gürcan, Bilal Akyüz, Cemil Turhan, Erhan Caha, F?rat Alaku?, Hakan Evrim, Kubilay Selçuk, Mehmet Di?li, Mehmet Partigöç, Omer Faruk Harmanc?k, Murat Koçyi?it, Mustafa Bar?? Avialan, Orhan Y?k?lkan, Sinan Sürer, and Muhsin Kutsi Bar?? received 141 times aggravated life sentences.

    FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed and some 2,200 injured.”

  32. Far-right extremists ‘planned to blow up mosque’
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/11/12/far-right-extremists-planned-to-blow-up-mosque_dc0af11d-f9c0-4c34-98aa-56d47947cdb0.html

    “A group of far-right extremists planned to blow up a mosque near Siena before changing their minds for fear of being caught, police said after placing 12 people under investigation and arresting two of them in and around Siena on Tuesday.
    The group planned to blow up the mosque at Colle Val d’Elsa near Siena by blowing up a gas pipe, police said.
    One of the group is heard on a wiretap saying “he had brought the maps, we wanted him to blow up the gas thingy so that the whole lot would have been blown up”, police said.
    They allegedly dropped the plan fearing that the police would catch them.
    The two arrested were Andrea Chesi, 60, a bank worker, and his son Yuri, aged 22.
    They were arrested on charges of possessing explosives and parts of war ordnance. Police in Florence and Siena on Tuesday placed the 12 people under investigation in the probe into potentially subversive far-right extremist militants.
    The suspects are being probed for possession of weapons with the aim of setting up an association with subversive ends, police said.
    DIGOS security police carried out raids of homes and offices in the province of Siena, police said.
    The suspects allegedly hailed racial hatred and fascism, police said.
    One of them, aged 60, posted phots of him wearing a uniform with SS insignia on social media, riding a military sidecar.
    In another photo, tagged “harking back to the good old days”, he is holding a rocket launcher.
    In another he is photographed on the site of Benito Mussolini’s execution by partisans while making a sign that he is shooting a sign belonging to partisan association ANPI.
    In the past, the man allegedly bought a lathe to make silencers for pistols for “half of Siena”, police said.
    In another, he said his grandsons would have to fight “with arms against the peril of Islam”.
    Another man, aged 66, belonging to the neofascist Movimento Idea Sociale (MIS) group, allegedly said he had quarelled with foreigners at his workplace and “they should all be killed”.
    Police said the suspects were “of a certain age” and did not have criminal records.
    A lot of material was seized including weapons for which the suspects had licenses, police said.
    Explosives were found at one of the raided premises, police said, and a bomb squad was called in.
    Police said the raids and searches were carried out at Sovicille, Poggibonsi, and the centre of Siena.
    “At the moment we have not found evidence of links to existing extreme right political groups,” police said.
    “The searches are the first act in a probe that has to be developed,” said Florence anti-mafia unit chief prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo.”

  33. Tories suspend up to 25 members ‘for posting racist and Islamophobic material’, including ‘one councillor who called Muslims barbarians’ and another who ‘said starvation in Africa is nature’s way of depopulation’
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7678853/Tories-suspend-25-members-posting-racist-Islamophobic-material.html

    “The Conservative Party has suspended several sitting and former councillors after a dossier suggested they had posted or endorsed Islamophobic and racist material online.

    Up to 25 people are believed to have been reported, with the party saying that all of those found to be Tory members had been ‘suspended immediately, pending an investigation’.

    Posts recorded in the dossier, which has been sent to Conservative headquarters, include calls for mosques to be banned and references to Muslims as ‘barbarians’ and ‘the enemy within’.

    One councillor also described starvation in Africa as ‘nature’s way of depopulation’.

    The dossier was compiled by an anonymous Twitter user who campaigns against racism.

    The dossier outlined instances of racist or Islamophobic posts, which have been revealed by the Guardian, from the following members.

    Vera Waters, a Walsall councillor, wrote that poor Africans should be left to starve and made the comment that famine is ‘nature’s way of depopulation’.

    Her Facebook profile picture shows her posing with Boris Johnson.

    Beverley Dunlop, a councillor in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, posted messages in two Facebook groups, which have more than 11,000 members in total.

    In a 2016 post against the burqa, she said: ‘I hate to ban anything really but I’d suggest we start with Mosques!’

    In another post, she slammed calls for an inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative party and wrote: ‘How about them calling for an inquiry into Islamist rape gangs grooming underage, underprivileged white girls [sic]?’

    Dunlop told the Guardian the messages she had posted were private.

    Meanwhile, Trevor Hales, a parish councillor in Sandiacre, near Nottingham, complained on Twitter about Muslims and referred to them as ‘the enemy within’.

    He also said that ‘spineless’ governments had sold ‘us to slavery of Muslims’.

    Malcolm Griffiths, a councillor in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, who is also chairman of South Tees Conservative Association, liked Facebook comments in 2017 urging migrants to ‘go back to where they came from’.

    He also liked another comment telling migrants to ‘get the fuck out and go home’.

    In a separate post, Griffiths suggested Muslims were inbred.

    A Conservative spokeswoman said: ‘The swift action we take on not just anti-Muslim discrimination, but discrimination of any kind is testament to the seriousness with which we take such issues.

    ‘The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind.

    ‘That’s why we are already establishing the terms of an investigation to make sure that such instances are isolated and robust processes are in place to stamp them out as and when they occur.’

    It is understood not all the names provided in the dossier are currently members of the Tory Party, but the party was unable to say how many members had been suspended.

    The disclosure will increase pressure on Boris Johnson to hold an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the party, rather than a broader investigation into prejudice within its ranks.

    Shadow equalities minister Naz Shah said: ‘The Conservative Party is rife with Islamophobia, racism and bigotry from top to bottom, but we have no faith that Boris Johnson will do anything about it.

    ‘Johnson’s comments about Muslim women looking like ‘bank robbers’ and ‘letter boxes’ were linked to a 375% rise in anti-Muslim hate crime, and polls show a majority of Conservative Party members hold Islamophobic views.

    ‘Boris Johnson must commit to a full independent inquiry into Islamophobia and stop pretending it doesn’t exist in his party.'”

  34. Michael Coudrey
    @MichaelCoudrey
    At 5pm PST, I will be releasing documents leaked from the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office & acquired from intelligence sources in Ukraine.
    2:24 PM · Nov 13, 2019·Twitter for iPhone
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    Michael Coudrey
    @MichaelCoudrey
    ·
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    Replying to
    @MichaelCoudrey
    The documents to be released are bank transfer records from Burisma and Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC that further shed light on wrongdoing by Devon Archer, the Kerry Family including Kerry Senior, Kerry Junior, Heinz Jr, and Hunter Biden.
    https://mobile.twitter.com/MichaelCoudrey/status/1194697471928102917